Elevating and traversing gear for field-gun carriages.



3 vmevllo'c 611 l cine Lao V PATENTED SEPT. 27, 1904.

. I G. HUGHES; BLEVATING AND IRAVERSING GEAR FOR FIELD GUN GARRIAGES.

a sums-$335M.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 20, 1902.

N0 MODEL No. 770,965. PATENTED SEPT. 27, 1904.

. F. G. HUGHES. ELEVATING AND TRAVERSING GEAR FOR FIELD GUN CAREIAGES.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 20, 1902.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

No. 770,965. PATENTED SEPT. 27, 1904 F. G. HUGHES. ELEVATING AND TRAVERSING GEAR FOR FIELD GUN CARBIAGES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 20. 1902. N0 MODEL. 7 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

f [I 4 I q vihwooeo I i g /1 UNITED STATES.

Patented September 27, .1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK Gr. HUGHES, OF BETHLEHEM,

PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO BETHLEHEM STEEL COMPANY, OF SOUTH BETHLEHEM, PENNSYLVA NIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

ELEVATING AND TRAVERSING GEAR FOR FIELD-GUN CARRIAGES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. '770,965, d ated September 27, 1904. Application filed November 20, 1902. Serial No. 132,088. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FREDERICK G. HUGHES, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Bethlehem, in the county of Northampton, State Of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Elevating and Traversing Gear for Field-Gun Carriages, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in elevating and traversing gear for field-guns; and the invention con sists in the construction and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafter set forth and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a fieldgun embodying my improvements, part of the trail being broken away. Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a similar view on the line 3 3, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a sectional detail, and Fig. 5 is a detail of the gearing.

The elevating mechanism may be of any suitable construction, a well-known construction being shown, consisting of telescopic screws within a stationary sleeve D and operated by an annular bevel gear G, the rotation of which raises or lowers the elevating screwrod A, through which extends transversely a pin E, the ends of which are seated in ears upoln the gun cradle or slide or upon the gun itse f. f

As the elevating screw-rod A is pivoted directly to the gun or its support, I provide for the rocking of the-ele'vating-gear, and to this end the sleeve D fits within and is carried by a carrier I, which also supports the bevelwheel G and the parts for operating the same and whichitself is so supported as to rock on its transverse axis. Thus the carrier consists of a cylinder 3, carried by a support or frame 0, which is transverse to the trail and terminates in cylindrical bearings 0, adapted to recesses in bearing-boxes V V, suitably support ed, so that. the carrier 1 with it, whereby the elevatingscrew A, pivoted to the gun, and the elevating the frame 0 may rock, carrying mechanism will retain their proper positions at all times. It is also necessary, however, to swing the gun to effect its traverse, and this I accomplish by shifting the position of the carrier I laterally upon the frame O,Which may be effected without any binding of the parts, as the carrier also oscillates during this shifting motion and as the screw A can turn in its support. For this purpose the carrier I is provided at the front and rear with flanges 4, having inclined faces which bear upon the inclined upper edges of the front and back cross-pieces 5 5 of the frame O and serve as guides on which the carrier can slide. The upward movement of the carrier is prevented by means of a' ring J, which, as shownfscrews onto the lower threaded end of the sleeve D; but it may be secured in any other suitable manner, the said ring J extending below the cylinder 3 and also below the lower edges of the cross-pieces 5 5, as shown in Fig. 4. The bearing-boxes V V are suitably supported by the--trai l flasks- 9 9,which, as shown, are of metal, with upper and lower flanges to receive the boxes.

The bevel-gear G is turned from a shaft K, having an outer hand-wheel N, through the medium of a bevel-pinion H, secured to the shaft, the said shaft being carried by the frame O and extending through the adjacent side of the trail, which has an opening of sufficient size to permit the oscillation of the frame O, the shaft K being above the axial line of said frame. As the carrier I has a traversing movement, the shaft K is telescopic, its central section havinga groove 12, receiving a lug 13 on asurrouncling sleeveL, which turns with but slides in the section M, to which the hand-wheel N is connected. It will be evident, however, that any other suitable means for rotating the gear G upon the traversing carrier from an operating device at the side of the trail can be employed.

In order to impart the proper traversing motion 'to the carrier, I provide the latter with boxes I, through which extend two parallel screw-shafts P P, having their bearings in the frame O, and each provided at the end with a spur-pinion gearing with a spur-wheel R, which turns on a cylindrical bearing 20 upon a plate bolted to the side of the trail, as shown in Fig. 3. In order to reduce friction, I prefer to make use of a series of antifriction-rollers S, each traveling on the periphery of a bushing T, supported by the bearing 20. With the teeth of the annular spurwheels R engages an idle gear W in the trail side, which in turn engages with a gear X, driven by a gear Y upon a shaft 21, to which is connected a hand-wheel G.

From the above it will be seen that the gunner with his hands upon the operatingwheels can simultaneously elevate or depress and traverse the gun to any extent required.

In order to protect the parts, I prefer to inclose the same within a casing consisting of the trail sides, 'a forward and a rear transverse plate 38 39, bolted to the trail sides, and an upper plate 31 and a lower plate 32, the latter having a detachable door 33 to permit access to the ring or nut J, so that it can be removed in order to detach the sleeve D and all the parts carried thereby, and the upper plate having an opening 34, through which these parts may be lifted. The nut or ring J may be extended to form a cap or cover-plate 35, and an annular bellows 36 is secured to the edge of the opening in the plate 31 and also to the screw A, the bellows accommodating itself to the movements of the screw.

The bearing U of Fig. 5 may be recessed to receive the different gears and, together with the side of the trail and the end of the frame 0 and boxes V, constitutes a casing which effectually incloses the said gears. In order to stiffen the trail, the cylindrical end bearings O of the frame 0 may have each an annular rib 37, engaging an annular groove in the box V, the latter being sectional in order to fit it to the bearings O.

The construction above described has the following advantages: First, a gear stowed between the trail-flasks'in such a manner that while easily accessible and removable it presents no point vulnerable to rough country driving or to infantry fire; second, the entire gear is so placed between the trail-flasks that it is easily covered on all sides and protected completely from dust and rain; third, traverse and elevation is so accomplished that hand-wheels for this purpose may be put in such a position that with the use of his right and left hands the aiming gunner may withoutchanging the position of his body at once elevate and traverse his gun, thus lending to the rapidity of fire of the piece.

Without limiting myself to the precise construction and arrangement of parts shown, I claim as my invention 1. The combination of the gun-trail, a rocking frame mounted thereon, a carrier sliding on the frame, gun-elevating devices supported by said carrier, a shaft supported in said frame and connected to operate the elevating devices, and a hand-wheel at the outer end of the shaft, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with the gun-trail, of a rocking frame mounted thereon, a carrier sliding on the frame, elevating devices supported by said carrier, a shaft supported in said frame and connected to operate the elevating .devices, and a hand-wheel at the outer end of the shaft, the said shaft being in telescopic sections, substantially as set forth;

3. The combination with the gun-trail, of a rocking frame thereon, a carrier sliding upon the frame and provided with gun-elevating devices, and a detachable ring J preventing the upward movement of the carrier on the frame,

substantially as set forth.

4. The combination with the gun-trail, ofa rocking frame thereon having cross-pieces 5, 5, a sliding carrier for the gun-elevating devices having flanges extending over and bearing on the upper edges of the cross-pieces, and a ring J secured to the carrier and extending below the lower edges of the cross-pieces, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination with the gun-trail, of a rockingframe thereon, and a carrier for the elevating-gear provided with a sleeve D extending below the carrier,and a confining-ring J secured detachably to the lower end of the sleeve, substantially as set forth- 6. The combination with the gun-trail, of a rocking frame thereon, a carrier for the elevating-gear provided with a sleeve D, a confining-ring J secured detachably to the lower end of the sleeve and extended to forma cap or cover 35, extending below the carrier, substantially as described.

7 The combination with the gun-trail, of a rocking frame thereon, a carrier sliding on the frame, a screw-shaft turning in the rocking frame and engaging a threaded projection of the carrier, and means for turning said shaft from outside the trail, substantially as set forth.

8. The combination with the gun-trail, of a rocking frame thereon, acarrier sliding on the frame, screw-shafts turning in the rocking frame and engaging threaded projections of the carrier, and means for turning said shafts from outside the trail, said means comprising a hand-wheel outside the trail upon a shaft provided with an inside spur-wheel, gears intermediate the spur-Wheel and pinions upon the ends of the screw-shafts, substantially as described.

9. The combination with the trailflasks,of a rocking frame supported between the same, a carrier supported to slide upon the frame and supporting the elevating devices, means for shifting the carrier upon the frame, a ringgear engaging said means and concentric with the axis of rotation of the frame, a handwheel outside the trail, and gears intermediate the hand-wheel and the ring-gear, substantially as set forth.

10. The combination of the trail-flasks provided with bearing-boxes, arockingframe located between the flasks and having circular bearings at its ends adapted to said boxes, a carrier for the gun-elevating devices sliding on said frame, means for shifting the carrier laterally, and means for operating the elevating devices, substantially as set forth.

11. The combination of the trail, the rocking frame thereon, the carrier sliding on the frame, the elevating-gear on the carrier, the outer hand-wheels, the inner gearing for actuating the carrier-shifting devices, and means for inclosing said gearing, substantially as set forth..

12. The combination with the trail-flasks, rocking frame and shifting carrier support ing the elevating-gear, of plates 31, 32 extending between the trail-flasks, the upper plate 31 having an opening and an annular bellows extending between the edge of said opening and the elevating-shaft, substantially as set forth. j

13. The combination of the trail-flasks, rocking frame, sliding carrier and securing-ring J, of alower cover-plate 32 having an opening closed by a door, substantially as set forth.

14. The combination with the trail, the rocking frame. sliding carrier movable on said frame, elevating-gear and operating-shaft, of 

